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But what will he want in return?
CHAPTER TEN
For the next two days, I’m glued to my computer, hoping to find a needle in a haystack—Morris’s location—because my pleas to Kyle go unanswered. If they’d just tell me what they know about Morris’s whereabouts, I might find him.
All I know is the clock is ticking, and for whatever reason, the same powers who were supposed to guarantee my safety after I complied with their request to meet Morris in Paris are now giving me the cold shoulder. Even Kyle’s shut me out.
Why?
I want to give Kyle the benefit of the doubt, since it’s possible he has a good reason, but I can’t come up with one. Something doesn’t feel right.
More than anything, I really wish I had River to talk to. She could always see reason where I couldn’t. But I can’t lean on her, and I can’tnottry to help all these innocent people. This wouldn’t have happened if I’d taken care of Morris. But no. I’d stood there telling myself that I needed the right moment. Morris had to get closer to me. All BS. I could’ve taken him down if I’d wanted to.
So what now, Huff?The clock is ticking, and Los Angelenos have no clue some of them will die, they only know the city has gone bonkers—not so unusual, really. But I don’t know where to start looking for Morris.
A very risky idea plows into my head.If I can’t go to him, maybe I can get Morris to come to me.I just have to warn my parents and River first, because if I do this, their necks will be on the line, too.
I log into my app with the encrypted calling feature and dial Mom.
“Hello?” she says.
I almost can’t speak. It’s the first time I’ve heard her voice in over eight months. It reminds me of home.
“It’s really good to hear your voice, Mom.”
“Huff?” Her voice cracks. “Is that you, baby?”
“I need to see you and Dad. Where are you?” I ask.
I zipped to my parents’ new house over an hour ago. They bought a place in Texas in some private community by a lake. It’s your basic track home, but it’s cute. My mom has a nice garden out back, and Dad has a workshop for his projects.
We spend the first twenty minutes hugging and trying to get Mom to stop hyperventilating. They knew I wasn’t dead, but Kyle told them they’d never see me again.“For their own good,”he’d said.
“So your plan is to go public.” Dad paces their living room, which reminds me of our old one because it still has Mom’s favorite bookshelves stuffed with knickknacks, photos of us as kids, and a little memorial statue of an angel for Joy. Their old overstuffed floral couch is here, too.
God, I missed them.I can even smell the faded scent of Mom’s signature cooking—usually something with bacon. Quiche, spaghetti, salad. She puts bacon in just about everything. It’s a miracle my dad isn’t a brick of solid lard.
“Yes,” I say, sitting on the couch. “I found a reporter who’ll do the interview.”
“What’s Kyle say? Is it safe?” Mom nibbles her thumbnail while sitting next to me. I look more like her with our dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. Kyle looks more like my dad with darker features.
“This is one hundred percent my choice, guys. Kyle has no say.” I don’t want to tell them what’s been going on with Kyle. It’ll sound like I’m throwing him under the bus when I have no solid proof he’s up to something.
“Huff, this sounds risky.” Mom reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. The gesture only cements the fact of how homesick I’ve been. Not that this is the house I grew up in, but being isolated from family has made it ten times harder to deal with the aftermath of my transformation. Other than a few calls with Kyle, I’ve been on my own, trying to accept my life is changed forever.
“It’s risky,” I admit, “but someone has to try to save these people.”
“Like you did the people in Paris,” she says. “We’ve never been prouder.”
“Kyle told you?” I ask.
“He tells us everything that’s going on. You must be heartbroken about River. Poor, poor girl.” Mom shakes her head remorsefully.
My entire body tenses. “What about River?”
“Kyle said you knew,” Dad tells me.
“No. I don’t.”
